Ravens Top Five Plays of 2011

There were plenty of highlights for the Baltimore Ravens in 2011. The team went 12-4 in the regular season and won the AFC North for the first time since 2006. They also secured a Home playoff game and a first-round bye. Even though we will most likely remember this past year as one of missed opportunities there was a lot to cheer about. Before we totally look ahead I wanted to list my top five favorite plays of the past season.

Things looked bleak as the Ravens offense took the ball on their own 8 yd. line down 20-16 to the hated Steelers with less than two minutes left. The team appeared headed for another heartbreaking loss to Pittsburgh. That is until Joe Flacco led a 92-yard drive that was capped by Smith’s 26-yd touchdown pass with eight seconds left to give the Ravens a rare sweep of the Steelers.

2- Ed Reed’s Strip-Sack of Mark Sanchez (Week 4)

This play set the tone for an evening of defensive dominance by the Ravens defense. Sanchez fumbled four times and was ineffective all night long. Reed’s strip led to Jameel McClain’s fumble recovery for a touchdown – one of three in 2011.

3- Haloti Ngata Levels Rashard Mendenhall (Week 1)

The season opening 35-7 decimation of Pittsburgh will be a fond memory for many Ravens fans for a long time. My favorite play, out of many was watching Ngata explode into the backfield and crush Mendenhall before he even got a hold of the hand-off. It hardly seemed fair.

4- Ray Rice 70-yd Touchdown Run against the Bengals (Week 17)

Rice had a ton of highlights from this past season. This particular run was important for many reasons as it got the Ravens on the board early as they eventually moved past Cincinnati 24-16 and it clinched a first round playoff Bye.

Flacco’s work on this 16 play, 76 yard drive against a stout San Francisco defense on Thanksgiving night was stellar. On a third and eight he tosses a bullet to his new favorite target for the game’s only touchdown and another victory.